Adult coloring books are more popular than ever, but adults aren’t buying them to keep up with some fads. There are many surprising reasons why so many adults are buying coloring books.
In today’s world, taking a break from the daily grind and doing something enjoyable and relaxing like coloring is essential for stress management and overall well-being. It’s hard to believe that such a simple activity can have such a profound effect on our mental and physical health, but it’s true. It’s incredible to think that something as simple as adult coloring can have so many benefits. We’ll get more into detail about each of the ones listed, plus a few more, below.
Coloring Can Reduce Anxiety
The repetitive nature of coloring can reduce anxiety because you can turn your brain off and focus on a task that doesn’t take much brainpower. Because coloring provides an opportunity to be creative within a structured environment, colorists can benefit from the soothing effects of art without any stress of having to create something from scratch. For this reason, coloring is an incredibly useful hobby for artists and creative people who are feeling blocked and too stressed by the idea of having to make a piece of art from nothing.
Practicing Mindfulness
Activities like coloring are good ways to cultivate mindfulness, a state of calm awareness centered in the present moment.
Mindfulness has countless benefits, including:
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- Relaxation and less irritability
- Reduced headaches
- Lowered blood pressure and heart rate
- Increased ability to focus
- Improved immune system function
- Lessened anxiety and depression
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Many people are familiar with the idea of mindfulness meditation, but mindfulness can be done in any setting, from doing housework to low-key hobbies like coloring.
Want to learn more about mindful coloring? Check out our article HERE.
Expanding Creativity
As we touched on earlier, coloring in coloring books is an excellent hobby for creative people. An artist working on a big art project, for example, can use coloring as a warm-up to get the creative juices flowing. But artists who are “stuck,” as well as aspiring artists who haven’t had a chance to do much in the way of creativity yet, can also benefit from coloring. The structured parameters and low stakes of coloring can be just the thing to get out of a creative rut without feeling overwhelmed.
Break from Screens
As each year passes, the amount of time we spend staring at computers, televisions, phones, and tablets increases. Increased screen time is associated with a host of health issues, including:
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- Poor cardiovascular health
- Insomnia
- Headaches
- Obesity
- Impaired cognitive function
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The more activities you can find that give you a break from technology, the better.
Self Care
The term “self-care” has gained popularity in the last few years and is increasingly vital as our schedules get busier and more stressful. A relaxing, enjoyable hour spent coloring can go a long way towards establishing a self-care routine, which is just a fancy way of saying taking time for yourself.
Escape Daily Stress
If you have a hectic schedule, it might seem counterintuitive to drop everything for a bit of coloring. But doing so can provide just the break you need to power through the rest of your day.
Improve Focus
Prolonged concentration on a simple task like coloring can help calm the mind and train it to focus on one task. This goes hand-in-hand with mindfulness, which involves keeping the attention focused on what you’re coloring rather than letting thoughts drift. This doesn’t mean you have to spend every coloring session this way, but maybe a few minutes here and there as a way to improve focus over time.
Increase Problem Solving
There is a phenomenon that a lot of us are familiar with, termed by many as “shower thoughts.” This is that moment when you’re in the shower, and out of the blue, an epiphany strikes. Often this will be the answer to a difficult problem that you’ve been agonizing over for some time. Some studies show that distracting yourself with tasks like showering, gardening, and yes, coloring can help your mind relax enough to solve problems better.
Reduce Insomnia
Reducing insomnia is a benefit of a regular coloring practice that’s directly related to some of the other benefits, namely:
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- Anxiety and stress reduction
- Relaxation
- Self-care
- Mindfulness
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All of these improve a sense of overall well-being, which will make it much more likely that you’ll be able to fall asleep more quickly without being kept awake by obsessing over problems. Coloring before bed can also help you fall asleep quicker because it will give you a break from technology before trying to sleep. Using technology before bed has been shown to increase sleep issues.
Focus Away From Self
When we’re stressed or depressed, a lot of the time, our attention is turned so far inward that we forget to focus on what’s going on around us. Focusing on a stress-free activity such as coloring can gently turn the attention outward, providing a break from endless rumination and self-criticism.
Portable Relaxation for Stressful Trips
If you’re going to be traveling and anticipate the trip to be stressful, packing a coloring book and some colored pencils can be just the thing you need to get through it. Traveling in itself can be stressful since it removes you from the comforts and routine of home, not to mention your social support network. The more you plan by packing items that will help you relax and take a mental break, the more successful your trip will be.
Use Both Sides of the Brain
Getting both sides of the brain to work together is essential for cognitive functioning, especially when it comes to:
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- Learning
- Problem-solving
- Creativity
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Luckily for us, coloring is a super-easy way to activate both hemispheres, building the connection between them. The structure of staying inside the lines is handled mostly by your left brain, while the right brain gets a kick out of choosing color combinations.
Bond With Your Kids
If you spend a lot of time with your kids, you know how important it is to keep them busy and always have different recreational activities on hand. Well, why not instill some coloring time in your routine? This can be an excellent way for you all to unwind together as part of your bedtime routine, helping them settle down and get that much-needed break from computers and television.
Socialize With a Club
Coloring is often thought of as a solo activity, and it can be an excellent way to take a break from other people if you need to recharge. But believe it or not, more and more coloring clubs are popping up in libraries, bookstores, and coffee houses. In the same idea as a knitting group or sewing circle, coloring clubs allow people to get together for a low-key activity, which can be a terrific low-pressure way to meet new people. Since you’ll all be focused on your coloring, you can talk as much or as little as you’d like to, and there’s no need to worry about awkward silences. If there aren’t any coloring clubs in your area, why not start one? You can open it to all community members or use it to excuse a group of old friends to get together. Virtual social circles are good alternatives to in-person ones for people who aren’t able to leave home.
Nostalgia
A considerable reason adults buy coloring books that aren’t often acknowledged is that they’re just plain fun! Coloring can bring back fond memories of days gone by, spent sitting contentedly for hours with nothing more than a coloring book and a box of crayons for entertainment. As crucial as popular concepts like mindfulness and self-care are, there’s a lot to be said for doing something just for the fun of it, something we don’t often let ourselves do as adults.
Final Thoughts
Some adults buy coloring books for the simple reason of enjoying coloring, without overthinking about it. Others take up the coloring to express creativity or reduce stress. No matter what brought you to adult coloring, remember to have fun with it.
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